Imola WorldSBK Statistical Smorgasbord
Some numbers and stats ahead of this weekend’s Motul Italian Round in Imola
- 204 – Tom Sykes is the only rider who has managed to score more than 200 points at this track. Noriyuki Haga, next up in this ranking, stopped at 199.
- 94 – If Jonathan Rea leads for more than 6 laps during the upcoming weekend, he will be the first rider to have led more than 100 laps at the Italian track.
- 11 – So far, Imola has seen eleven different pole sitters out of 13 race weekends. The only one who has scored more than one pole is Tom Sykes, who has three.
- 8 – Tom Sykes has led no less than eight races here: he was the race leader for at least one lap from 2010 to 2013, and also last year (Race 1).
- 7 – Tom Sykes can be the first rider to gain an eighth podium placement at Imola. His tally of seven rostrums is matched only by Noriyuki Haga.
- 6 – Six years ago Tom Sykes recorded his maiden career pole at Imola: 32 more followed, to make him the second all-time rider behind Troy Corser (43).
- 5 – Is the highest number of wins at Imola, shared by Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea.
- 5 – Only two riders in history have been able to start from the front row 5 times at Imola: the current Kawasaki duo of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes.
- 4 – Four times, the pole here has been decided by less than one tenth of a second: the last time was last year, when Davide Giugliano and Tom Sykes were separated by 0.084 seconds.
- 3 – Only three riders on the current grid have ever led a WorldSBK race in Imola: Tom Sykes (8 times), Jonathan Rea (6 times) and Davide Giugliano (2013, Race 1).
- 1 – Jonathan Rea is the only rider to have been able to score four consecutive wins at Imola, with a double in the last two editions. He was also able to break Carlos Checa’s dominance in the 2010-2012 period, winning Race 1, 2011: all the other five races in those years went to the Spaniard.
- 0.021 seconds – This is the smallest margin for a win in Imola: it was recorded in the 2nd 2001 Race, between Regis Laconi – his maiden win and podium appearance- and Ruben Xaus. Xaus took revenge two years later, winning over Laconi with the largest margin ever recorded at Imola: 12.038 seconds (Race 2).
A Circuit for Doubles: 8/13 in Imola
Imola has been a circuit that has seemingly favoured doubles: no less than eight times out of thirteen, the winner has been the same in both races. The first was Colin Edwards, back in 2002, in one of the most epic season finales in history. Ruben Xaus and Regis Laconi followed in 2002 and 2003, then in more recent years there have been four doubles in the last four visits here: Carlos Checa (2012), Tom Sykes (2013) and Jonathan Rea (2014-2015).
The 2015 Pirelli statistics for Imola
• Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 4552
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 34 front and 34 rear
• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 4 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 22 front and 21 rear
• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’46.707 (Race 1, 5th lap) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’47.198 (Race 2, 12th lap)
• Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), 1’51.101 (16th lap)
• Temperature in Race 1: air 24° C, asphalt 38° C
• Temperature in Race 2: air 26° C, asphalt 46° C
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO Superbike tyres: 285.3 km/h, in Race 1 byChaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team) at 4th lap
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO Supercorsa SC tyres in Supersport race: 253.1 km/h by Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) at 10th lap and by Kyle Smith (PATA Honda World Supersport Team) at 3rd lap.
Imola 2016 WorldSBK – Pirelli Solutions
Pirelli will bring to Imola a total of 4602 tyres designed to meet the needs of riders of all classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The uncertain weather could envisage wet races, in which case the riders will use full wet DIABLO RAIN tyres or intermediate DIABLO WET tyres.
If it does not rain, as regards the SBK class slick DIABLO Superbike tyres will be present in three different solutions for the front and as many for the rear, in addition to the rear qualifier tyre that can only be used by riders who access the second Superpole session on Saturday.
At the front at the disposal of the riders there is a development solution and two standard tyres. The development solution is the SC1 S1699, widely used and appreciated by the riders already in the first rounds of this year as well as being the most used option at the front in 2015. With regard to the standard solutions, tyres regularly for sale in the market, there will be the SC2, medium hardness option and optimum for high outside temperatures because it provides resistance to tread. Also, the new SC3, the harder front of the 2016 range, which made its debut in the Assen round and which offers a compound particularly resistant both to abrasive asphalt and/or to low temperatures.
For the rear as well there is one development solution and two standard tyres. The development solution is an old acquaintance of the riders, the SC0 T0611, which debuted last year at Imola and was taken then also to Portimão, Misano, Laguna Seca, Sepang, Jerez, Magny-Cours and Losail. This solution uses a very soft compound able to offer a very high level of grip when used with high temperatures. Alternatively, the riders may use the standard SC0 and, in case of lower temperatures, the standard SC1.
